The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has warned citizens in security-ravaged areas against engaging in any form of trading or transaction with terrorists, bandits and other non-state actors.
He said trading with the criminals was encouraging them, hence it must stop in order to defeat the menace of insecurity.
Gen. Musa issued the warning on Wednesday after visiting patients at the Defence Headquarters Medical Centre, as part of the Christmas celebration, which coincided with his birthday anniversary.
The CDS, who lamented that some unpatriotic elements have been trading with the criminal groups, noted that their actions were sabotaging the efforts of the military and other security agencies in fighting insecurity in the country.
He said, “I want to also call on those few ones who think they are making money by trading with those terrorists and bandits. Those terrorists and bandits have no respect for anybody. Once you think you are trading with them, they are going to come after you.
“If they don’t come after you, they will come after either your relations, your brother, your sister, your wife or your husband. So, please, nobody should trade with those guys.
“If we do not encourage them, we do not trade with them, they will not survive. That is the important thing we are saying.”
Gen. Musa regretted that terrorism was not nipped in the bud when it began, which, according to him, allowed it to fester.
“The mistakes that were made in the past when this thing (terrorism/banditry) started was that we did not nip it in the bud. We allowed it to get to where it is. But thank God everybody is putting hands together and we are very happy that Nigerians are warming up.
“We are getting a lot of support from Nigerians, a lot of prayers, and a lot of information on things that are happening everywhere. We must continue to do that,” the CDS said.
He assured all that the military would leave no stone unturned to ensure that Nigeria was peaceful in 2025.
He added, “I think since we started to where we are today, there is a remarkable improvement in the security situation, and we are going to take that further. That is why I said next year is defining. Which means that we will do everything possible to ensure that Nigeria is peaceful.
“We are going to put every effort to ensure that we continue to live in peace. It’s not automatic, but I know if we have the cooperation of Nigerians, that is possible because God is always with us. We are going to make sure that Nigeria is better for everyone.”
